Furnace



Dec. 6, 1932.

L. w. MANloN FURNACE Filed May 20. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 nl n INVENTQR 0 W /VA/V/O/V Y f am . ATT

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I Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES Aina'rlala'r OFFICE LEO W. MANION, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB, BUY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FERRO ENAMEL CORPORATION, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO FURNACE Application med Hay 20,

This invention relates to furnaces and more particularly to a U orhairpin type furnace which is adapted for such use asburning enamel ware.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide a furnace through which such articles as enamel ware are continually moved; wherein the burn-ing chamber of the furnace has but one opening and through which an uninterrupted stream of incoming and outgoing ware may pass; whereinthe furnace also comprises a preheating and cooling chamber adjacent the burning chamber in which oppositely moving streams of burned and unburned ware move in opposite directions and in close proximity so that burned ware delivers heat to unburned ware. Another object is to provide a continuous furnace of the U orhairpintype,inwhich Ware is moved in a burning chamber and carried through an arc of 180.A and then moved out of the burning chamber. Another object is to direct the path of the products of combustion away from the burning chamber but adjacent the unburned Ware to preheat the unburned Ware.

Other objects include providing a furnace having a closed end wherein circulation of air is reduced to a minimum thereby conserving heat. A further object is to conserve heat by providing shoe plates and other means for a continuous sliding cover for the slotted opening through which the Ware supporting parts extend. Other objects include supporting the ware on points and convenient carriers which facilitate burning and handling. A still further object is to provide pivotal connections in the ware carrying mechanism which will permit the ware to be continuously supported on upwardly directed supports and while permitting angular movement between various parts of the carrying mechanism. p.

Other objects will ap ear from'the following description of a pre erred form of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my furnace along with ware conveying 1929. Serial N0. 364,477.

mechanism; Fig. 2 is a 'horizontal section taken along the lines2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken alongv the lines 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the furnace; Figs. 5.and 6 are vertical sections taken along the lines 5-5 and 6--6'respectlvely of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side ele-l vation taken at the front of the furnace showingvthe conveying structure and shoe plate guides; and Fig. 8 is a perspective of one of the shoe plates.

Referring to the drawings, I show a furnace 1 which may be constructed of suitable materials such as lire brick and the like according to well known precepts. The furnace comprises essentially a burning chamber `2 and a preheating and cooling chamber 3.

Suitable ports or doors 4 and 5, being only large enough to receive Ware with appropriate carriage, are provided at the front end of the furnace, the back end of the furnace being closed.

A conveying system is illustrated forv carrying-the Ware into and out of the furnace and comprises essentially a continuous, suitably supported, trackway 10 carrying trolleys 11 from which are-suspended ware carrying and transporting means. The conveying system also comprises an endless chain 12 of which certain links, see Fig. 7, are pivotally sus-- pended from the trolleys and in turn pivotally support trunnions 13 by which the ware is moved int-o and out of the furnace. v The trunnions are engaged in split bearings 14 which in turn pivotally support hanger rods 15 through pins 16 whereby a swinging movement is permitted between the trunnions and the hanger rods.- The lower ends ofthe -rods 15 have eyes 17 for pivotally receiving work engaging tools 18, see Figs. 1 and/1, or work carrying trays 19 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The tools 18 have pointed ends for directly supporting certain shapes of ware, and the trays 19 have point supports for such articles as pots and pans as shown. In either event, the pivotal connection between the trolleys, links, trunnions, rods and tools permit various parts to be angularly displaced While the tools and trays keepY a constant position relative to the Ware. hereby the pointed supports which enga e the ware ang vertical. I

. Carried andsupported bycollars 20 on the hanger rods is a continuous articulated shield 21 which com rises shoe plates, see Fi 8,

slidably engaging tracks 23 on the top o the furnace. The shoe plates 22 are stepped an amount substantially equal to their thicki ness and havev round holes in their forward) ends engaging hanger rods by which they are drawn, and have elongated holes in their rearward ends to facilitate their turning. The track 23 comprises a pair ofangle bars which overhang the front of the furnace and are declined to slidably receive the shoe plates. The bars constituting the track lie on opposite sides of a continuous U-shaped slotA 24 through which the rods 15 extend and progress through the furnace.

The chain 12 passes over horizontally disposed sprocket wheels at opposite ends of its travel located at the extreme left and right of Fig. 1. vAt least one of lthese sprocket wheels is driven by suitable means, not shown, thereby moving the ware through the furnace. K at the front end of the furnace near the doors 4 and 5, the unburned ware entering through the door 5 and progressing through the pre.- heating and cooling chamber to the burning chamber, whence it is carried through an arc 0f 180 and returned through the preheating and cooling chamber out of the door 4 where it is unloaded. Y

The foregoing has described my furnace in a general way and has particularly dealt" with the means and manner in which the ware or other material is conveyed through the furnace. The following will describe the furnace proper in greater detail and while I have illustrated the furnace operable-with fluid or gaseous fuel, I wish it to be understood that the precepts of my invention are broad enough to include various kinds of fuel, whether combustible orotherwise. The furnace illustrated herein is adapted to burn fuel oil,ybut I have designed and successfully operated furnaces of this same type with electricity as the means for heating, and I contemplate that solid fuels, such as coal, could be successfully used with the addition of suitable grates and other ancillary equipment.

Referring to Fi s. 2, 3 and 6, and illustrating a fluid fuel eating system, I provide a plurality of burners 29 which are directed Yalternately and oppositely under the floor of the burning chamber 2.' The burners project into combustion chambers 30, the tops 0f which are covered with high refractory material preferably laid asA inverted Vs to` give a maximum surface for radiation and conduction. The-ends of the chambers 30 ar deviation of the other parts from the The ware is loaded andunloaded opposite the burners `communicate freely with'chambers 31 which constitute the side walls of the burning chamber and are interiorl lined with high refractory material throug which heat is transmitted to the ware. Thus the flame and products of combustion from the burners pass under the ioor of the burning chamber and along the side walls, out of. contact with the ware which moves through the chamber.

-Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the refractory lining of the bottom and sides of the burning is, infact, the part from which heat emanates and iiows to the'ware, and -if electrical heating" elements were similarly disposed, the efect within the burning chamber would be substantially the same. The selection of theheating meansmay hinge upon the cost of power and fuel in various localities. One ofthe advantagesin using a` combustible fuel'is that the products of combustion may be used after they leave the vicinity of the burning chamber to preheat A the ware duringits inward passage through the preheating and cooling chamber.

Communicating with the uppr portions ofthe chambers 31, l provide exhaust openings 32and 33 through which the products of combustion pass downwardly and then laterally partlythrough the passage 34 and into a longitudinally extending passage 35 (seev Figs. 2 and 5) which extends under the iioor of the side of the preheating and cooling chamber over which t e incoming ware passes. The passage 35 may conveniently terminate in a stack 36 adjacent the door of .the furnace.

As indicated above, the incoming ware enters the port or door 5 and is carried along above the passage 35 and laterally adjacent the hot burned ware which 'leaves the fur-4 nace by the door 4. The incoming ware is thus preheated both by its proximlty to the roductsof combustion and also by its proxi the burning chamber and itl is my intention.

that after leaving the burning chamber it deliver up its heat'to the incoming and unburned ware. Preferably the preheating and cooling chamber is about twice as'long as the burning chamber, although variations in the relative lengths of the chambers may be found advisable according to the character of the duty imposed upon the furnace. Genyerally stated, I prefer that'tliefle preheating and cooling .chamber be cific heat of the ware.

gth of the ing chamber out of contact with the ware and elatively proximate the unburned ware.

4. An enameling furnace having a closed end and an open end, a burning chamber at While the foregoing illustrates and de.\ this closed end adjacent which combustible scribes a preferred form ofl my invention, modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and I do not care to be limited inthe scope of my patent other than by the claims Vappended hereto.

.I claim 1. The combination with a U-type furnace of a continuousconveyor for carrying articles through said furnace comprising a guide rail located outside of the furnace, a plurality of hangers spaced upon said rail, a chain interconnecting said hangers, supporting members pivotally mounted uponsaid hangers,

said furnace having a roof provided with a continuous U-shaped opening for receiving said supporting members, and means for' preventing the escape of heat through sald continuous opening, said last named means comprising overlapping plates engaged by said supporting members and slida le along the furnace roof, said plates being solely sup.- ported by -said roof while over the furnace and by said supporting members when away from the furnace.

2. Affurnace comprising a reheating and cooling chamber, a burning c amber located at one end of said preheating and cooling chamber, means substantially covering the walls and floor of said burning chamber whence heatemanates into said chamber,

means for conveying articles through said preheating and cooling chamber and said urning chamber whereby said articles are conveyed into and from said preheating and cooling chamb r in substantially parallel adjacent paths cdxprising a guide rail located outside of said furnace, a plurality of hangers spaced upon saidrail, a chain interconnecting said hangers, supporting members pivotally mounted upon said hangers, said furnace being provided with a contlnuous U- shaped opening for receiving said supporting membersand covering members for preventing the escapeofheat through said continuous opening, said covering members including overlapping plates engaged'by said supporting members and slidable along the furnace roof, said plates being solely supported by the furnace roof while over `sa1d continuous opening and by said supporting members while away from said continuous v opening. 3. A U type furnace having a burning chamber heated by combustible fuel, a preheating and cooling chamber through which Aburned and-'unburned ware are conveyedin close proximity in opposite directions whereby the unburned ware is preheated by the burned ware, and means for conduct-in the products of combustion through the pre eat- 5. The method of burning ware which consists in conveying a contmuously .moving stream of ware through an enclosed chamber, turning the stream of ware through -an arc on from the burning chamber subof 180, burning a combustible fuel at or near the point of turning and directing the heat ltherefrom onto the ware at that point to burn it, conveying the ware from the point of turning back in a direction opposite to the movement of the unburned ware and in close proximity thereto, whereby heat flows from the burned to the unburned lware topreheat it and causing the products of combustion to flow in a path parallel the path of the unburned ware and in a direction opposite to the movement thereof and proximate thereto forpreheating the unburned ware.

6. A furnace comprising a preheating and cooling chamber, a burning chamber located at one end of said preheating and cooling chamber, means for heating said burning chamber, means for conveying articles through said preheating and cooling chamber and said burning chamber whereby said articles are conveyed into and from'said preheating and cooling chamber in substantially parcontinuous opening, said covering members including overla ping plates engaged by said supporting mem ers and slidable along the furnace roof, said supporting plates being wholly supported bythe furnace roof while over said continuous opening and by said supporting members while away from said continuous opening.

7. The'combination with a U-type furnace of a continuous conveyor for carrying articles through said furnace comprising a guide rail located outside of the furnace, a plurality of downwardly extending work supporting members-spaced upon said rail, flexible connecting means interconnecting said supporting members, said furnace having a roof provided with a continuous U-shaped opening for receiving said supporting members, and

means jfor reventing the escape of heat throu h sai continuous opening, said last name means comprising overlapping plates enga ed by said supporting members and slida 1e along the furnace roof, said plates being solel supported by said roof while o'tfer said lishaped opening in said furnace and by said supporting members when away from said furnace. Y

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature this 1st day of May, 1929. l

LEO W. MANION.. 

